Last November, Intel famously broke its own record for most drones flying in formation, by setting 500 of the things in coordinated flight at once. More recently, 300 Intel drones flew in formation for the Super Bowl halftime show. Now, the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has set the new high mark, by putting 1,000 quadcopters in the air together.
Accompanied by a soundtrack from a live orchestra, the 15-minute flight took place at 9pm on Jan. 15th, as a high-tech take on the lantern festival which traditionally marks the end of the Chinese new year.
The flight paths of the 1,000 Ehang Ghost Drone 2.0's, along with their color-changing lights, were all remotely controlled by a single ground-based computer. The drones made up a dynamic aerial display that measured 120 meters high, 280 m long and 180 m wide (394 x 919 x 591 ft). Each aircraft stayed approximately 1.5 m (4.9 ft) away from its closest neighbors, in order to avoid collisions.
Among other things, they created images such as a rooster (2017 is a Chinese Year of the Rooster), the Fu character (福) for good luck, and a map of China.
Video of the record-breaking event, which was verified by the Guinness Book of Records, can be seen online.